1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 435 Stall; Micro-sprinkler Irrigation
Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun discussed Shaanxi apples and Li Shenhai's reputation and credibility, which made him realize something.

"I was too careless. I almost became sworn brothers with him."

"Be careful in everything you do. In the wholesale market, most people say a mix of truth and lies, but often the truth is not surprising, while lies can be deadly."

Xue Jun also experienced the unpredictability of human nature. Although he had not lost anything yet, Li Shenhai's credibility issues were a cause for concern.

Xue Jun asked, "Are you still considering number 113?"

“Of course I’ll consider it,” Chen Jiazhi said. “There’s nothing wrong with his stall itself.”

The North and South markets are roughly divided into areas. For example, stall number 113 is in the Shaanxi fruit area, and there are a total of 5 stalls belonging to Shaanxi fruit merchants in the surrounding area.

Of these five Shaanxi fruit merchants, only number 113 has expressed interest in transferring ownership.

Because only Li Shenhai is a sole proprietor, while the other four companies sound like county-level fruit companies based on their names.

There are two other stalls selling Shaanxi fruits in other locations in the market that are for sale, but their locations are not as good as number 113.

Stall number 113 has the best location and the highest foot traffic among the five stalls that are available for transfer.

Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun didn't beat around the bush and went straight to number 113, where the sign read "Haipin Fruit Industry".

"Brother, you should have said so earlier. If I had known you wanted to sublet my shop, I would have given you a discount yesterday."

Li Shenhai was a man from Western Qin, with an unassuming appearance, but Xue Jun had already become wary of him.

You can't judge a book by its cover; everyone in the wholesale market can speak in a pleasant way.

Xue Jun nodded slightly, "Mr. Li, I'm still comparing, but I haven't decided yet whether to take your stall."

Li Shenhai, still all smiles, said, "Brother, look how good my stall is. It's spacious, square, and in a great location with lots of foot traffic."

If Shaanxi doesn't experience a severe drought this year, and the apples don't have quality issues, our street is always packed with people during the last few months of each year.

Chen Jiazhi looked around the stall without saying a word, leaving Xue Jun to lead the communication.

Xue Jun then said, "But this year your apples just can't sell as well as Shandong apples. You were complaining to me yesterday that Shandong people are stealing your business."

Li Shenhai smiled on the surface, but inwardly he was cursing, "Who knew that someone with thick eyebrows and big eyes would also want to rent a storefront to do fruit business?"

He was indeed pushed to the limit by Shandong apples, which led to his rash remarks yesterday.

Li Shenhai said, "This year is different from next year. Our Shaanxi fruits have been selling well in both northern and southern markets for so many years, and their reputation is well-known."

Xue Jun stared directly at Li Shenhai's face, but couldn't detect anything unusual. How did he develop the ability to lie without batting an eye?

Or does he really think he has a good reputation?

Xue Jun believed that Jia Zhi wouldn't joke about this. Since Jia Zhi said that the saying "Northwest wolves bite people" was circulating in the market, it must be true.

After thinking for a moment, Xue Jun said, "Boss Li, it may be even more difficult for Shaanxi fruit next year. Shandong apples are well-prepared and coming on strong. It won't be easy to make up for the lost popularity. Otherwise, why are you in such a hurry to sublet it?"

Li Shenhai said, "I have plans to do other businesses, which is why I sublet the property."

This argument was clearly untenable, and Xue Jun didn't want to argue with him any further. He asked, "How much are you planning to transfer it for?"

Li Shenhai said, "One price, 150,000."

Xue Jun shook his head. "I'll give you a maximum of 100,000. You said that two years ago you only used 50,000 to get the stall, and now that it's doubled, you've made quite a bit of money."

"Impossible, it's 150,000, not a penny less."

"Farewell."

Xue Jun called out to Chen Jiazhi, who was still looking around, and turned to leave. Chen Jiazhi didn't linger and followed Xue Jun to the next place.

Although Kaopu Fresh is a large and successful company, money doesn't grow on trees, so it's important to cultivate the habit of saving where possible.

Xue Jun said, "The initiative is in my hands. I plan to slowly wear him down."

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "No problem. This year, Shaanxi apples are not ideal and can't compete with Shandong apples. The longer it goes on, the harder it will be."

Xue Jun asked, "Will Li Shenhai resell other fruits?"

"It's not easy to find a source of goods in a short time, and even if you find a source, you may not make money. The profit margin for fruit is not as high as it was a few years ago."

The more Chen Jiazhi learned, the more he regretted not starting the fruit business sooner.

Like vegetables, the planting area and output of fruits are gradually increasing, while prices are generally trending downwards.

It is said that two years ago, the wholesale price of Shaanxi apples in the North and South Markets of Huacheng reached 11 yuan/kg.

This price made Chen Jiazhi feel like he had traveled back 30 years. Even 30 years later, it would be difficult for Apple to sell for such a high wholesale price, while the retail price would be about the same.

Even though prices have fallen now, the profit margin for fruit wholesalers is still considerable, provided they don't fall into any traps or end up ripping people off.

Li Shenhai had worked in the food seasoning industry in Gansu and also traded watermelons from Kunming, but he only made money from selling Shaanxi apples.

He himself is from Fufeng, and his wife is from Baoji, both apple-producing areas. This means that outside of Shaanxi, it will be difficult for him to find other cheap sources of goods, making it very difficult for him to turn the tide.

Chen Jiazhi also saw persimmons at Haipin Fruit Industry's stall, but relying solely on persimmons would hardly be enough to recover the losses.

As Xue Jun said, the initiative was in his own hands, and the longer time dragged on, the more unfavorable the situation would be for Li Shenhai. Before coming to the North-South Market, Chen Jiazhi didn't know much about Shaanxi apples, but he had long heard of Shandong Crystal Fuji apples.

People twenty or thirty years from now should have eaten or heard of Shandong Crystal Fuji apples.

According to Chen Jiazhi's prediction, now that Shandong apples have launched an offensive, this year should be the turning point for Shaanxi apples, marking the beginning of their decline.

Shaanxi apples lack the advantages of favorable timing, location, and human resources. How can a small individual like Li Shenhai turn things around?

There's no way to translate it.

Just wait for good news.

However, Xue Jun also visited four other sublet stalls to learn about their situation, treating it as a learning experience.

During the trip, I also saw the popular Shandong apples, most of which were bagged Fuji apples. They looked beautiful, with vibrant colors, perfect shapes, and smooth surfaces. The Shaanxi apples, which were not bagged and suffered from drought, were incomparable.

Dawn breaks.

The market was bustling with activity, and transactions were frequently being completed.

Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun, like students, eagerly observed and learned in the market.

Every other day, I would go to Li Shenhai to chat about how well Shandong apples were selling in the market.

However, on the third day, stall number 113 was blocked by fruit vendors. Neither side was easy to deal with, and they got into a fight in front of the stall.

Li Shenhai then approached Xue Jun and agreed to transfer the stall for 10 yuan. He was in a hurry to pay the fruit farmers in his hometown, and his house was also blocked by people.

Xue Jun had heard Li Shenhai's story of rise and witnessed his downfall, and sighed:
"Agriculture is truly dependent on the weather; any natural disaster or man-made calamity can bring an individual or an entire production area to a standstill."

Chen Jiazhi retorted, "Stop being sentimental, my dear Boss Xue. The important thing is to think about how to make the business thrive."

Kaopu Fresh is currently well-funded with a steady cash flow and a consistently stable business style, making it unlikely that it will encounter a funding crisis.

It's good that Xue Jun has this insight, but if you're in this line of work, you need to have the courage to go against the grain and the vision to take advantage of the situation. Being sentimental and lamenting the passing of spring and autumn is useless.

Having secured the stall, Chen Jiazhi temporarily handed over the management to Xue Jun.

We haven't decided which fruits to sell yet, so we'll just sell whatever we have, regardless of whether we make a profit or not, as long as we get the stall up and running.

...

Jiangxin Vegetable Market.

Hong Zhong and Qi Yongfeng accompanied a group from Green Vine Irrigation Facilities Company as they walked through the vegetable market.

"Manager Qi, Boss Hong, I still recommend that you adopt the better micro-sprinkler irrigation solution. Although it is more expensive, it is more durable and has a higher overall cost-performance ratio..."

Cao Yu, the technical director of Green Vine, tirelessly made recommendations, but Qi Yongfeng and Hong Zhong remained unmoved.

Qi Yongfeng said, "Director Cao, I'm sorry, we'd like to use the most cost-effective solution."

Cao Yu frowned. To him, as the technical lead, the client's choice of the cheapest and least technically sophisticated solution was an insult to his technical abilities.

"Director Qi, you can completely trust our technology. Besides you, Green Vine is also in contact with Congyu Vegetable Market. They want to implement a micro-sprinkler irrigation solution that integrates water and fertilizer. We are very likely to win this order. When the production scale expands, we can lower the price for you even more."

Qi Yongfeng knew about Congyu Vegetable Market; Liu Yunfan had gone there and even poached two Southeast Asian customers from Jiangxin Vegetable Market.

He said, "Mr. Cao, I'm sorry, our irrigation plan was decided by the boss and it won't change."

Cao Yu said, "I can talk to your boss."

"I will pass on the message to the boss," Qi Yongfeng said thoughtfully. "But I think we shouldn't have too high expectations. The boss is more interested in saving money than I am."

After a pause, Qi Yongfeng added, "President Cao, if Green Vine can't do it, Jiangxin Vegetable Market and other vegetable markets will find new suppliers."

Finding a good manufacturer might not be easy, but if we keep it simple, it shouldn't be too difficult.

Cao Yu frowned, but another sales manager from Green Vine quickly smoothed things over and temporarily calmed Qi Yongfeng down.

After leaving Jiangxin Market, the sales manager said, "Mr. Cao, we can't easily give up the thousands of acres of land under Kaopu Fresh."

Cao Yu said, "Find other technicians to do the work at Kaopu Fresh. I need to focus on the plan for Congyu Vegetable Market and try to sign the contract as soon as possible. I don't have time to do this kind of low-skill work."

the other side,
Chen Jiazhi also learned about the progress of the micro-sprinkler irrigation from Qi Yongfeng. The progress was a bit slow, and the appearance of Cong Yu was also unexpected.

Green Vine's proposed investment plan for Congyu is around 3000 yuan per mu. Congyu Vegetable Market has been doing well in export business recently, with high profits, so it's normal for the owner to be willing to invest.

Chen Jiazhi's envisioned version, depending on the size of each market, would cost 300 to 500 yuan per mu.

The costs of the two are vastly different.

It's no wonder that Green Vine Company went back on its word.

However, as Qi Yongfeng said, it's a bit difficult to find a supplier with good technology, but it's much easier to find one that's simple.

If Green Vine keeps delaying, let someone else do it.

After communicating with Qi Yongfeng, Hong Zhong, and Yi Dinggan respectively, Chen Jiazhi, like a lackey, followed Chen Guanye on his journey to Baise.

(End of this chapter)